India’s $2.7 Billion Capital Project Explained

This article explores India's $2.7 billion redevelopment project of New Delhi's government quarter, including renovations to the iconic Central Vista, construction of new parliamentary buildings, and transformation of Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Dec 3, 2023 - 20:23

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India’s $2.7 Billion Capital Project Explained

This is the plan for India's new government quarter, which is currently under construction. The Indian government is planning a major redevelopment project in the capital, New Delhi. However, the new buildings, which are to serve as the seat of government, will not be built in a new location. Instead, the current administrative centre, which houses the Indian parliament and the official residence of the Indian president, is to be completely renovated. The total cost is estimated at around $2.7 billion. This project symbolises a renewal process that has been underway for a long time. The Central Vista was designed when India was still part of the British Empire.

In 1911, the British imperial government decided to move the capital of the then-British Indian Empire from Calcutta to Delhi. The reason for this was strong nationalist protests in Calcutta, which put the colonial government in an unpleasant situation. The construction of a new administrative area was planned in a place that had often served as a political centre in the region in the past. This map by Lutyens shows their plan, with Old Delhi at the top in black and the planned new Imperial Delhi in red. The architects created a ceremonial axis along which parks and government buildings are located, the Kings Way, or today Rajpath. The Champs-Élysées in Paris, which has the Arc de Triomphe at one end, and other well-known avenues around the world served as inspiration for Lutyens.

On the other hand, Kings Way, which Lutyens designed, leads to the All India War Memorial, now known as India Gate. Another major inspiration was the National Mall in the US capital, Washington, DC. Both cities are characterised by a central axis that is about 3.5 kilometres long. Both centres are similar in geometry, with shorter transverse axes and diagonal streets converging on the main path. At one end of the Washington Mall is the Capitol, the seat of Congress. Conversely, at one end of the central axis of New Delhi, you will find the Viceroy’s House, the official residence of the representative of the monarch of the United Kingdom.

Although there are clear architectural similarities, it is important to note that the context in which these two administrative centres were created is fundamentally different. After all, Washington was created as a result of American independence. A new capital was designed from scratch. India's administrative centre, on the other hand, was created in Delhi, which was already one of the oldest cities in the world. By establishing their seat of government here, the British linked their monarchy with the deep history of the subcontinent. While Washington was the result of liberation, New Delhi was commissioned by a colonial power.

After India gained independence, the administrative district in Delhi became the centre of a newly independent nation. And it continued to expand as many of the buildings had to change their functions. The Viceroy's House became the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the official residence of the President of India. The Parliament, which originally housed the Imperial Legislative Council, now houses both chambers of the democratically elected Indian Parliament. In the meantime, the city's population increased, and there was immense development pressure on the area. New office buildings were built, but there was a lack of vision for how this area should be developed. Today, Central Vista is certainly a landmark in the country.

The parks have become a popular gathering place, and every year on January 26, the Republic Day parade is held. However, as many of the buildings are now used for a different purpose than originally intended, this administrative centre actually only houses part of the government buildings. The secretariat buildings are intended to house the various ministries of the Indian government.

However, its size is no longer sufficient, which is why a large part of the ministries and the Prime Minister's residence are located outside the Central Vista. The Indian government has therefore decided to redesign the entire area. Under the direction of Indian architect Bimal Patel, the architectural firm HCP has designed what is to be the future of Central Vista. The parliament building is clearly too small for today's requirements of Indian democracy and is in a structurally desolate state. Therefore, a completely new building will be constructed right next to the old parliament. While the old parliament was round, the new parliament is triangular. Nevertheless, it incorporates many of the ideas contained in the design of the current parliament.

The current parliament building consists of three semicircles facing each other. They house two chambers of parliament as well as a library. In the middle is a common hall, from which you can walk to the various rooms. And between these halls, there are various courtyards. A circle, which provides space for offices, surrounds the whole. Similarly, the new parliament will also have offices facing outward. Inside, however, the space will be used much more effectively by reducing the area of the inner courtyard.

The two chambers of parliament can therefore be built much larger to meet today's requirements. As already mentioned, the secretariat buildings are not sufficient for all the various ministries. And many of the buildings that currently stretch along Rajpath and house additional offices are in poor structural condition. These buildings are therefore being demolished to make way for a huge new central secretariat. This will bring together all the ministries of the Indian government in one place. These large buildings will each have a courtyard in the middle, which will serve as a meeting and relaxation area. To make commuting to work easier, the architects have planned underground electric people-movers that will stop at each office building.

In addition, a central conference centre will be built where larger events can be held. It will have various auditoriums as well as a number of conference and seminar rooms. The National Archives Building is also located on Rajpath. It currently consists of an old Lutyens building from the imperial era and a newer building that was added later. As part of the current redevelopment, the old building will be renovated but otherwise retain its function, while the newer building will be demolished and replaced. Rajpath is also home to the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, one of the country's most important state-funded cultural institutions. The centre will have to relocate as the current buildings will be demolished to make way for the new central secretariat.

A new building for the institute is to be built on India Gate Circle. Another building that will have to make way for the new Central Secretariat is the National Museum. However, as all ministries are now united in this central secretariat, the current secretariat building will lose its function.

The plan is therefore to relocate the National Museum to these two much larger buildings. The new National Museum will then have three times as much space as the current one. Architect Patel, who is in charge of the conversion, also sees this as a symbolic change that reflects the power of the people in a democratic nation. The British built the old secretariat on a hill, while the government buildings stood on Raisina Hill.

But with the new plan to convert these buildings into a museum for the public and shift the Central Secretariat to the Rajpath, the order reflects the rule of the people in an independent India. "If you are lucky and the Prime Minister is not in office, you can walk up to these buildings, see these great architectural instruments of intimidation, and wonder what is going on inside. Now they will become museums that you can go up to."The plan also envisages that the residences of the Vice President and the Prime Minister will be shifted to a new location.

Currently, the Prime Minister's residence is located outside Central Vista. This new arrangement will not only bring the two office-bearers closer together but will also reflect India's political hierarchy. In the centre is the residence of the President, the highest-ranking office in the country. To the side of the President is the seat of the Vice President on one side and the seat of the Prime Minister on the other, who has the most political power but is third in the country's ceremonial hierarchy. Adjacent to this residence is the Prime Minister's new office, which is located directly opposite the old and new parliaments.

Finally, Rajpath, the central main axis, and its parks are being fundamentally redesigned. New vegetation will be planted, the facilities will be completely renovated, and pedestrian underpasses will improve the visitor experience. The Central Vista Redevelopment Project is controversial in India, and there is criticism from many different quarters. "Well, I feel that as a non-resident of Delhi, you really don't get this space.

"You are taking money from the middle class; you are not giving money to the poor and spending it on your central vista." "Most of your presentation was about incremental improvements to the status quo. But there were no bigger ambitions." The question of the project's ambitions is often debated in India. It is a difficult question, especially as the architects were faced with the difficult task of renovating an existing landmark. This area is closely linked to Indian history and the British Raj.

For some critics, this project is an attempt to erase colonial history from the site and thus from the collective memory. For others, the design is too restrained and not visionary enough. Much of the criticism also relates to the timing of this prestigious project. The government is spending large sums of money on this project at a time when the nation is facing the life-threatening challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. The timing of this project also seems inappropriate to some because of the current state of Indian democracy. Only recently, the US-based organisation Freedom House, which monitors the state of democratic institutions worldwide, downgraded India from a free democracy to a partially free democracy in a controversial move.

Nonetheless, the project is currently under construction, although discussions will certainly continue for a long time to come. 74 years after independence, this redesign ensures that India's political center reflects the ambitions of modern India. Architecture can do many things. It can look to the future or the past or, as in this project, attempt to bridge the gap between the two. Moreover, architecture can be symbolic, embodying ideas such as openness, transparency, democracy, and equality. What architecture cannot do, however, is put these principles into practice and protect them. That is a task that remains with politics and civil society.

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